NDLEA intercepts terror drug ‘captagon’ in Kwara as bizman excretes 45 cocaine wraps
…captagon will never find foothold in Nigeria, Marwa assures as operatives destroy 20,000kg skunk in Cross River forest …recover 1.1million pills of opioids in Edo; 394 IED materials in Niger
…captagon will never find foothold in Nigeria, Marwa assures as operatives destroy 20,000kg skunk in Cross River forest
…recover 1.1million pills of opioids in Edo; 394 IED materials in Niger state
Barely five years after the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) recorded the first seizure of the deadly terror drug, Captagon, in Africa at the Apapa seaport in Lagos, operatives of the Agency again intercepted a consignment of the amphetamine substance in Kwara state.
Director, Media and Advocacy, NDLEA Headquarters, Abuja, Femi Babafemi, made this known in a statement on Sunday.
Babafemi said Captagon, a tiny, highly addictive pill, widely available across the Middle East, produces a euphoric intensity in users, allowing them to stay awake for days, making them fearless, and predisposing them to reckless action that puts the lives of people around them in jeopardy.
He said its production and sale are controlled by militias and large criminal groups linked to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) as a means of generating funds for weapons and combatants, and for use as a stimulant to keep them fighting.
The latest seizure of captagon, which has a street value of up to $25 a pill, occurred last Tuesday when NDLEA operatives intercepted a trailer conveying passengers while on patrol along Bode Saadu Road, Kwara State.
Babafemi said a search conducted on one of the passengers, 33-year-old Nasiru Mu'azu, led to the recovery of 10 packs of Captagon, consisting of 10,000 pills and nine packets of Tapentadol 250mg.
The spokesman also said 394 pieces of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) components were seized from a suspect, Mohammed Aliyu, 26, by NDLEA operatives on patrol along Kontagora/Zuru road, Niger state, on Wednesday, 22nd April.
Babafemi said the suspect was conveying the IED materials in a red Toyota car with registration number KNT 617 AE to Shadadi, Mariga LGA. The suspect and exhibit are to be transferred to the relevant security Agency for further investigation.
He said another interdiction operation at the Bode Saadu patrol point last Friday led NDLEA officers to intercept a trailer marked RMY-70XA.
He said the search of the truck led to the recovery of 155,900 capsules of tramadol; 6,000 ampoules of tramadol injection; 3,000 tablets of Co-Codamol and 9,000 tablets of Bromazepam, concealed in a false compartment constructed under the trailer.
A 24-year-old suspect, Aminu Isah, was taken into custody in connection with the seizure, he said.
Babafemi said NDLEA operatives in Oyo State intercepted a commercial bus, registration number MNA 963 ZY, at Akinyele along Ibadan/Oyo expressway, while it was en route to Sokoto.
He said a 33-year-old passenger, Eze Prince Emeka, was removed from the vehicle and taken for a body scan, the results confirmed he had ingested an illicit drug.
Babafemi said the suspect, who claims to be a businessman in Sokoto, was subsequently placed under close observation, during which he excreted a total of 45 pellets of cocaine with a total weight of 1.043 kilograms in three excretions.
"The decision to travel by road to Sokoto with the illicit drug in his stomach was to evade detection by NDLEA at the airport while further investigation reveals that upon arrival in Sokoto, the suspect was to excrete the pellets, rest for a few days, and subsequently re-ingest the substances to continue the journey through the trans-Saharan routes, with Algeria as a transit point and possible final destination in Europe," Babafemi said.
He said in Edo state, NDLEA officers on patrol along the Benin/Lagos expressway last Saturday intercepted a truck marked NLC 146 FC conveying 1, 196,000 pills of pharmaceutical opioids, among others. Two suspects, Osagie Igbinibo, 43, and Omijie Malik, 44, were apprehended in connection with the seizure of consignments bound for Onitsha, Anambra State.
Read Also: Uncoordinated laws raising business costs in Nigeria –Report
He said while a suspect, Rasheed Ibuowo, 40, was arrested at Mile 2 expressway in Lagos on Saturday, 25th April, conveying 810 kilograms of Arizona, a strain of cannabis, another suspect, Muktar Bello, 35, was nabbed by NDLEA operatives on Wednesday 22nd April at Misau road, Azare/Katagun LGA, Bauchi state, with 288 blocks of skunk weighing 154.5kg.
The statement reads, "In Ekiti state, a total of 466.8 kilograms of skunk were recovered from the house of a suspect, Layit John Matthew, 56, at Ilaro street, Isinbode-Ekiti, from where he planned to transport them to Yola, Adamawa state while 20,000 kilograms of the same psychoactive substance were destroyed on eight hectares of farmland in Uyanga community, Akamkpa LGA, Cross River state on Saturday 25th April when NDLEA officers supported by soldiers raided the community and recovered 170kg of processed cannabis," he said.
Babafemi said with the same zeal, Commands and formations of the Agency across the country continued their War Against Drug Abuse, WADA, sensitization activities in schools, worship centres, work places and communities among others in the past week.
He said these include: WADA enlightenment lecture for students and staff of Mallam Salisu Islamic School, Paiko, Niger state; Madarasatul Abdulrahman Bin Auf Litahafizul Quran, Durusul Islamiyah Badawa, Nasarawa LGA, Kano; Sani Zango Daura Model Primary School, Zango, Katsina; and members of community development associations, Badagry LGA Lagos while the Zonal Commander, Zone 4 Command of NDLEA, ACGN Bridget Viashiama led other senior officers of the Zone on a WADA advocacy visit to Nasarawa state governor, Engr. Abdullahi Sule, among others.
"While commending the officers and men of Kwara, Oyo, Edo, Cross River, Bauchi, Ekiti, Niger and Lagos Commands of the Agency for the arrests and seizures, Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) noted their drug supply reduction efforts balanced with WADA sensitization activities while he charged them and their compatriots across the country to maintain the current tempo.
"He commended the tactical precision of NDLEA operatives following the interception of 10,000 pills of Captagon in Kwara State, noting that the bust is a major blow to drug syndicates attempting to revive a pipeline that has been largely dormant since the landmark seizure at the Apapa Seaport in Lagos five years ago.
"Marwa described the seizure as a wake-up call, noting that Captagon, a potent amphetamine often linked to insurgent groups for its ability to inhibit fear and fatigue, remains a target for traffickers looking to fuel insecurity. 'We are not just seizing pills; we are disrupting the fuel that powers violence in our communities. Our operatives remain on high alert across all frontiers to ensure this illicit trade finds no foothold', he stated," the statement reads.
